Setting your three-year strategic goals. In Scale at Speed you set three Big Hairy Audacious Goals — one financial, one for quality and one for culture. Together, these three BHAGs form your Annapurna Vision. A BHAG is an ambition large enough that the current version of the business cannot deliver it, which is exactly what forces the company to change how it operates.
Workshop overview
Do not rush this session. The clarity you create here will shape the company’s direction for the next three years.
| Activity | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Set the context | Founder |
| 2 | Present financial goal | Founder |
| 3 | Pressure-test financial goal | GLT |
| 4 | Define quality goal | GLT |
| 5 | Define culture goal | GLT |
| 6 | Calibrate the strategic goals | GLT |
| 7 | Craft the Annapurna Vision statement | GLT |
| 8 | Pressure-test the statement | GLT |
Pressure-testing the financial goal
The founder’s figure is a starting point. The role of the GLT is to challenge it, test it, and refine it if needed.
Discussion prompts:
- What would have to change for this to be possible?
- What breaks in our current structure?
- What capability gaps appear?
- What would we need to stop doing?
- What assumptions might be unrealistic?
Defining the quality strategic goal
Possible examples:
- Client satisfaction score
- Customer retention
- Error rates
- Product quality benchmarks
- Industry accreditation
Defining the culture strategic goal
Possible examples:
- Employee engagement benchmarks
- Management capability development
- Retention targets
- Employer recognition
- Internal NPS
Strategic goals calibration grid
Now that all three goals are defined, confirm that each one is actually strategic. A goal should pass all five criteria before it is locked. If it fails one or more tests, refine it.
| Test | What it means | Financial | Quality | Culture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural change | Would achieving this require the company to operate differently? | |||
| Measurable outcome | Is the goal defined by a clear metric or observable outcome? | |||
| GLT ownership | Can the GLT take responsibility for driving this goal? | |||
| Organisational energy | Does the goal create excitement rather than anxiety or indifference? | |||
| Strategic relevance | Would achieving this significantly strengthen the company? |
Crafting the Annapurna Vision statement
Bring your three BHAGs together into one clear statement describing the company you are building. Write it in the present tense, as though the three years have already passed.
By [date], we are a company with [Financial BHAG], [Quality BHAG] and [Culture BHAG].
By December 2029, we are a business generating 15MLN in gross profit, with a Client Satisfaction Score above 95 per cent and a place on The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list.
Pressure-testing your statement
Before locking the statement, ask the team:
One-page summary sheet
Your three-year strategic goals. This page can be printed and kept visible by the team as a strategic reference point.
This statement becomes the destination for your Strategy Map, which you design in the next phase.
